"Double Agent" A Davis Way Crime Caper By Gretchen Archer: Review/Giveaway

by Cynthia Chow

Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review and links to purchase it.

It shouldn’t be surprising that superstitious gamblers have made '13' the number to be avoided at the Bellissimo Resort and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. It’s why no rooms end with the number, and why the 13th floor has been entirely designated as Disaster, where the Bellissimo Storm Team congregates during emergency procedures. That’s where Davis Way Cole plans to be as Hurricane Kevin descends upon the state and the Casino and entire town evacuates.

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As part of the Drop Team, Davis and her Bellissimo CEO husband are in charge of ensuring that all of the slot machines have been emptied and are in compliance with Gaming regulations. Until that happens, Davis is also holed up with a Weather One TV crew eager to televise the disaster, two stranded drunk Michiganders, and her own Bellissimo Storm Team. Unexpected stowaways appear in the form of a corpse: Davis’s wounded ex-ex-husband and her high school nemesis in town for a reunion.

Image Source Henery Press

As Biloxi becomes a deserted apocalypse, Davis and her team must sort out chaos and unravel what looks to be an elaborately planned hurricane heist of casino funds. As her family and in-laws arrive to help with the evacuation (which seems counterintuitive), Davis must also deal with her other assignment as the body double/babysitter of the owner’s wife, who is still holed up in the penthouse and mostly oblivious to the chaos below. Normally able to juggle a dozen emergencies while retaining her sardonic humor and creative naming of staff, Davis now has her most reliable staff honeymooning in Hawaii or evacuated off site. In their place Davis has a retirement-ready FEMA agent, State emergency agent, gaming agents, and a whole contingency of Storm Team staff. It’s no wonder that they’re having so much trouble losing phones, misplacing cash, and finding an alarming number of corpses.

This eighth in the series amps up the chaos to eleven as the bodies pile up, heists multiply, and new snafus occur just as one is solved. There is so much fun as have as the hurricane approaches and the action revs up to unbelievable levels. Davis always has her reliable Number Two, Fantasy Erb, confidently standing by with her physical skills and sane advice, but not until Davis has her entire Bellissimo support team around will she feel calm. Humor and suspense are kept at high levels, along with moments of heartfelt emotion as they confront their deepest fears. The near-zombie-apocalypse setting is made delightfully absurd as they raid the resort’s exclusive kitchens and boutiques, delivering the vicarious thrills of designer survival gear. Full of high-energy action scenes and laugh-out-loud humor, this novel excels with its ingenious casino caper plot, boisterous characters, and stellar dialogue.

Check out other Henery Press mysteries on their website.

To enter to win a copy of Double Agent, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "agent,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen May 25, 2019. U.S. residents only. If entering via comment please include your email address. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win, we will not use your address for any other reason. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

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Double Agent (Davis Way Crime Caper #8)

Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.